Tinker project competition – aasarchitecture

As the world urbanizes, the challenge to manage waste becomes more acute, as more people means more garbage. While large cities are struggling with their waste management strategies, people of Manshiyat Naser are mastering the ‘resist throwaway culture’. The Zabaleen -a derogatory term for garbage pickers, collects waste from the Egyptian capital, Cairo and carry it back to the neighborhood. It is remarkable to see that the Zabaleen recycles almost 90% of the collected garbage.

Challenge
Manshiyat Naser or more famously known as ‘garbage city’, is notable for having nearly every space covered in garbage including streets and rooftops of the settlement. Zabaleen have been bridging the gap for the lack of efficient waste collection system in Cairo for almost 70 years. The Zabbaleen might be fuelled by necessity, but they possess valuable lessons to teach those of privilege.

Tinker project — Image © competitions.uni

Why is that the people who are responsible for keeping are our cities clean are themselves living in the worst possible conditions? The slum dwellers of manshiyat naser have been neglected and disappointed by the policy makers and are in desperate need for agencies to make a notable change for procuring a chance towards better and healthy lifestyle.

Challenge: Design a waste management- recycle- facility, which provides the provision of reselling and bartering the recycled and reinvented products. Source and images Courtesy of competitions.uni.

Judges: Eric Corey Freed (Senior Vice President, CannonDesign), Lance Hosey (Principal / Design Director, Gensler), Jeff Kovel (Principal, Design Director, Skylab)